Heresy era Word Bearers - help !

[BattleBrotherJohn]

So after thinking briefly about Heresy era Imperial Fists I have decided to go in the other direction and do Word Bearers instead ( Self important , arrogant Space Marines gone bad appeals to me - thats why I went for Astral Claws ).

 

But I need some help with a couple of things.

 

Colour scheme - dark grey or black ?

 

Pre Heresy era armour - would the Mk 2 and Mk 3 armour be best ( I assume as they were out of favour with the Emperor they would not be issued with Mk 4 armour ) ?

 

Thanks

[Paradill]

I always saw it as extremely dark grey, not black armour. From what I can remember mk.3 was in common use around the time of the first heretic, but mk2 would be just as common in my opinion. Mk3 was just a variant on the previous edition anyway.

As for the heresy era itself, they painted their armour red pretty sharpish, by the time they attacked Ultramar they definitely had red armour, I guess it's a case when during the heresy you place them as I have no idea when this changed occured.

 

Aren't all marines arrogant?

 

Paradill

[Magic Dragon]

Pre Heresy the Word Bearers had a colour scheme that could be best described as "granite" they also had some of the most up to date armour around as Horus was actively equiping the legions who knew would be loyal to him with the latest equipment. So I guess this means that they would mainly have been fitted out in MK4 armour but may have even have had some of the early model MK6 armour due to close ties with the Dark Mechanicum.

[snorkle]

Pre Heresy the Word Bearers had a colour scheme that could be best described as "granite" they also had some of the most up to date armour around as Horus was actively equiping the legions who knew would be loyal to him with the latest equipment. So I guess this means that they would mainly have been fitted out in MK4 armour but may have even have had some of the early model MK6 armour due to close ties with the Dark Mechanicum.

 

I agree that they'd likely have lots of MK. IV armor, but only in the fleets closer to the Imperium. They did crusade the furthest from Terra after they were disciplined. And no MK. VI armor. MK. V is called Heresy armor as it was invented during the heresy so how could they have a newer version than MK. V?

 

As for color I'd go with a dark grey covered in gold writing and other suitably religious items.

[Paradill]

Wasn't MK. V cobbled together to give the Astartes something useable? Their MK.II to MK.IV was getting wasted bit by bit every battle, if I remember correctly, MK.V was a stopgap whilst the Corvus suits were having the bugs worked out. Development of corvus was slowed/stopped because of the heresy but I see no reason that prototype or early production models of the MK. VI couldn't have been "Acquired" by those legions with strong ties to the dark mechanicus.

[Doghouse]

If you are going with pre-heresy then Mk III or Mk II is the way to go with Phobos pattern bolters. Mk IV didn't really come into play till the very end of the crusade so chances are most of the crusade was fought predominantly in Mk II armour.

 

First Heretic mentions them being in Mk III so that is is probably your safest bet to be honest. The Serrated Sun chapter were equipped with Mk IV but that was just before the drop site massacre, up until then it seems to be Mk III.

 

I'm currently working on some myself at the moment in MK III thanks to that book and am painting them in Charadon Granite which seems to fit the bill nicely.

 

Technically speaking Mk V is a kit bashed Mk IV but with defining aspects that makes it stand apart as a proper class of it's own like the prototype terminator helmet and bonding studs.